Validation of the Chinese Version of the Epistemic Beliefs Inventory Using Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Xihui Wang, Zhidong Zhang, Xiuying Zhang, Dadong Hou

Abstract

The Epistemic Beliefs Inventory (EBI), as a theory-based and empirically validated instrument, was originally developed and widely used in the North American context. Through a strict translation procedure the authors translated the EBI into Chinese, and then administered it to 451 students in 7 universities in mainland China. The construct validity of scores on the Chinese version of the EBI (EBI-C) was examined with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The results confirmed the original 5 factors: Simple Knowledge (SK), Certain Knowledge (CK), Innate Ability (IA), Omniscient Authority (OA), and Quick Learning (QL). Yet the overall model fit was unsatisfactory, ? 2 (449) = 1167.32, GFI= .85, and RMSEA = .06. After two model respecifications with interpretable solutions, the overall model fit was substantially improved with ?2 (265) = 510.81, GFI= .92, RMSEA = .04. The EBI-C can be used in China and other Chinese-speaking regions and communities. Cross-cultural research in the area of epistemic beliefs becomes more feasible because of the presence of the parallel instrument.

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